Новости за 07.05.2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived late on May 7 in Belgrade for a two-day visit to Serbia as part of his drive to increase Beijing’s influence in Europe’s economic and political affairs.

Here are some of the most compelling photographs from the 19th week of 2024 from around RFE/RL's region.

UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on May 7 cooperation from Iran at present was "completely unsatisfactory" after returning from Tehran, where he urged the country to adopt "concrete" measures to address concerns on its nuclear program.

Russian officials said two U.S. nationals were arrested in separate cases, including a serving army member, raising renewed questions over whether Moscow is targeting Americans to detain and later use as bargaining chips in prisoner swaps.

Pakistan’s military has again accused Kabul of providing sanctuary for militants, alleging on May 7 that a March 26 suicide bombing that killed five Chinese engineers and a Pakistani driver was planned in neighboring Afghanistan.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry said on May 7 that it had started to check the preparedness of it tactical nuclear forces, a day after Russia announced a similar move.

The arrests of two Americans add to a grim and growing number of U.S. citizens behind bars in Russia, where many are widely seen as hostages held as bargaining chips amid President Vladimir Putin’s escalating confrontation with Washington and the West.

A Moscow court on May 7 sent noted Russian journalist Nadezhda Kevorkova to pretrial detention at least until July 6 on a charge of "justifying terrorism."

Russian prosecutors on May 7 declared the Washington-based Freedom House human rights watchdog an "undesirable organization."

An ex-minister is on trial for his wife's murder in Kazakhstan. The case has put domestic violence in the spotlight in the country, where UN figures suggest at least 400 women die every year from spousal violence. (WARNING: This video contains scenes of domestic violence.)

A Russian woman who described U.S. soldier Gordon Black as her "husband" posted numerous videos of the couple together in South Korea, giving a glimpse of their relationship before he became the latest American citizen arrested by Russian authorities.

A prosecutor asked a Bishkek court on May 7 to sentence government critic and journalist Oljobai Shakir (aka Egemberdiev) to seven years in prison on a charge of online calls for mass unrest.

Surging brown waters were seen cascading through rural houses and shops in Afghanistan's Ghor Province in the latest flooding to hit the country. Taliban authorities say more than 1,000 families were forced from their homes by heavy rains in recent days. The calamity comes after Afghanistan also suffered heavy flooding that claimed more than 100 lives in March and April.

As the Iranian authorities ramp up their enforcement of the hijab law, a new Health Ministry directive seeks to allocate drugs to pharmacies depending on their compliance with the head scarf requirement.

Residents of two remote districts in the northeastern Afghan province of Badakhshan have demanded more accountability and better treatment from the authorities after a Taliban crackdown on protests killed at least two people.

The Supreme Court of Uzbekistan has exonerated posthumously 198 individuals convicted by Soviet regime in the 1920-1930s for "counter-revolutionary actions, armed uprisings, terrorism, banditry and espionage, and anti-Soviet activities."

There were fresh protests in the Black Seat port of Batumi on May 6 against a proposed "foreign agents" bill that critics say could restrict civil rights and jeopardize Georgia's bid for European Union membership.

A court in the Siberian city of Omsk has sentenced psychologist Olga Belova to six years in prison in absentia on a charge of distributing "deliberately false" information about Russia's armed forces motivated by political hatred.

Two Belarusian activists went on trial in Minsk on May 7 in separate cases amid a continuing crackdown on dissent.

Norway and Moldova on May 7 signed a memorandum of understanding to tighten cooperation in the energy sector aimed at securing supply in the eastern European country that is trying to end its long-standing reliance on Russia.

A military court in the Russian city of Samara on May 7 sentenced anti-war activist Andrei Boyarshinov from the Tatarstan region to five years in prison on charges of justifying terrorism and calls for terrorism.

Jailed Russian dissident and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza was awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for commentaries for his articles that appeared in The Washington Post.